Learn to Knit

November 8, 2008

I find that baby blankets make perfect gifts for baby showers, especially if parents are trying to make every effort to not tell you who they’re expecting. Although blankets are a bit tedious to make (I mean, you’re knitting a 3×3 feet piece of fabric rather than whipping up 2-inch little booties), I can’t think of a more versatile gift for a newborn. So here is another blanket for you to consider – I made it for my friends’ baby boy.

Yarn and Needles

You will need 3 different colors of yarn. I picked brown as the main color and green and yellow as matching colors for the stripes. I used Bernat Satin Sport in taupe, jade, and beige – this yarn is slightly shiny and is very soft to the touch.

You will end up with a little bit of leftover yarn of every color, enough for smaller projects like baby booties or a baby hat.

Pattern

The entire blanket is worked in Stockinette stitch using the chart below, which makes it very easy to knit. The trick with this blanket, however, is keeping 18 separate strands of joined yarn (that make colored vertical stripes) tidy.

Process
I added a small border to the blanket on all sides. If you don’t want to make the border or have one of your own in mind, please feel free to omit it and jump directly to the blanket body description.

Cast on 158 stitches (for other sizes, use the number of stitches divisible by 24 + 14)

Border (make slanted sides for corners)

Row 1: purl

Row 2: knit, increasing 1 st on each side with yarn overs after the first stitch and before the last stitch (160 st total)

Row 3: purl

Row 4: knit, increasing 1 st on each side with yarn overs after the first stitch and before the last stitch (162 st total)

Row 5: purl

Row 6: k1, *yo, k2tog* repeat from * to * to the end of the row

Row 7: purl

Row 8: knit, reducing 1 st on each side by knitting 2 stitches together after the first stitch and before the last stitch (160 st total)

Row 9: purl

Row 10: knit, reducing 1 st on each side by knitting 2 stitches together after the first stitch and before the last stitch (158 st total)

Row 11: purl

Blanket body

Prepare 12 lengths of green and 6 lengths of yellow yarn, each 4.5 meters (15 feet) long, for vertical stripes. Wind them into little bobbins and put a paper clip on each bobbin to keep the yarn from getting undone.

Work 2 rows in stockinette stitch in brown. Starting in row 3, follow the pattern in the chart joining 18 lengths of yarn as you get to them:

Row 1: knit

Row 2: purl

Row 3: *k15 with brown, k1 with green, k3 with brown, k1 with yellow, k3 with brown, k1 with green* repeat from * to * 6 times, k14 with brown

Row 4: follow the pattern on the wrong side, purling all stitches

Rows 5-8: repeat rows 3 and 4

Rows 9 -10: join yellow at the beginning of the row and work as shown in the chart

Rows 11-12: repeat rows 3 and 4

Rows 13-14: join green at the beginning of the row and work as shown in the chart

Rows 15-16: repeat rows 3 and 4

Rows 17-18: join yellow at the beginning of the row and work as shown in the chart

Rows 19-34: repeat rows 3 and 4

Repeat rows 9-34 6 times. Knit another section of horizontal stripes (rows 9-18) followed by 6 rows of the pattern (rows 3-4). Work 2 rows in stockinette stitch in brown (the vertical stripes are now finished). Repeat rows 2-11 of the border, binding all stitches off knitwise on the right side.

I made the border on the other 2 sides of the blanket green (because there was not quite enough brown yarn left to finish it). To make the border, pick up 150 stitches on each side and work rows 1-10 of the border pattern binding all stitches off of the wrong side. Sew the corners of the border together, fold the border at the yarn over rows and sew it to the blanket on the wrong side.

Apart from getting the border sewn, there isn’t much other finishing work to do. Simply weave in all yarn ends (there are quite a few of those) and you’re done! Fold the blanket nicely, wrap it in tissue paper, stick it in a gift box – your baby shower present is ready to go!

Comments

I Love this. I will definately give this a try. Thank you for sharing : )

posted on November 29, 2008 by
Kim

Love this blanket, my friend has just found out she is having a girl so am definitley knitting this in girly colours!! thank you soo much for posting this pattern

posted on December 10, 2008 by
Hannah

I cannot thank you enough for posting this!! I have been looking everywhere for a plaid pattern. This blanket is adorable!!

posted on December 24, 2008 by
Cassi

This is so beautiful. I don’t think I understand the pattern though(I have never knitted with all those strands) I am not very “knit savy” But maybe I will try…….Friend is having baby boy and wants dark brown, light blue and beige. I think this would be perfect. It is just so beuatiful…Thanks for sharing…….

posted on February 17, 2009 by
Susan Miller

If I decide to add the border, do I start with the border or add it later? Also what does it mean when the pattern reads BORDER (make slanted sides for corners)?

posted on February 17, 2009 by
Susan Miller

I decided to try this blanket after seeing it months ago and thinking how lovely it is. I got through 12 rows before I thought that maybe I could swiss darn the vertical lines and knit in the horizontal. How do you think this would work.

posted on February 26, 2009 by
Darlene

Hi Darlene,
Swiss darning would definitely be easier than dealing with multiple strands of yarn, and the end result would probably look about the same. I haven’t tried it myself, but there is no reason not to give it a shot. The only thing that would be different is the thickness of the vertical lines (since you end up knitting the stitches and then embroidering over them). Otherwise, I think it’s a perfectly viable alternative.

posted on February 28, 2009 by
Yana

Help!!! I am trying to knit this blanket I have all the yarn and supplies but I don’t get some of the directions. On row Rows 9 -10 join yellow at the beginning of the row and work as shown in the chart. does the chart want me to knit one with yellow and one with brown or all yellow. Help!!! I don’[t get it i have never used a chart like that before and completely incompetent. It’s making my brain hurt!!!

posted on March 21, 2009 by
Ashley

Hi Ashley,

I’m sorry to hear you’re having trouble with reading the chart. You were right all along – you need to alternate between one yellow stitch (a diamond in the chart) and one brown stitch (an empty square in the chart). Then when you work on the wrong side, you purl a yellow stitch above the brown stitch and a brown stitch above the yellow stitch. Rows 13-14 will be similar, but you will alternate between green and brown.

posted on March 21, 2009 by
Yana

THANK YOU!!!!!

posted on March 21, 2009 by
Ashley

Hi Yana,

Well I did the swiss darning. It looks lovely and yes it is thicker. I am going to back the blanket so it will give it a nice finish. I give credit to anyone that can work with that many bobbins and still complete the blanket. The darning took me quite a few hours to finish but I am glad I decided to do it because the alternative would have been to leave out the vertical stripes. I just wouldn’t have been the same.

posted on March 31, 2009 by
Darlene

Hi, I knit two of these blankets in different colors for my twins while I was on bedrest. They turned out wonderful and I get so many compliments on them. Its nice to see a pattern for a baby blanket that isn’t the traditional “babyish” style, a little more refined or modern. Thanks!

posted on May 5, 2009 by
Robyn

Hi,
I am trying this today! I have only one question…I am not sure about how to slant the border corners. Can you explain or let me know of a link that shows how to do that? A bit of quick info — I am using baby blue for the main area, pale lime green and ivory for the stripes. I can’t WAIT to see the finished result. I will email you a picture of the finished blanket when I am finished. Thank you SO MUCH for this wonderful pattern. My friend has her baby room fixed up with those colors with argyle bumpers. The plaid pattern will be perfect! Thank you so much!

posted on May 13, 2009 by
Nancy Klipowicz

Hi Nancy,

It’s part of the description of the “border pattern.” Basically you end up adding a few stitches on both sides of the border rows during the first half, and then you decrease the same number of stitches for the last half of the border.

posted on May 13, 2009 by
Yana

Hi,

I was curious as to wether you started with the border or added it after? how do you suggest casting on the multiple clours and how does the brown carry on to the other side of the stripes without leaving a thread out in the open? I am a newbie knitter and am curious to try something new as my cousin is having a baby. I think this is just about the cutest baby blanket I have seen and I know she and her child will love it! Thank you so much!

posted on August 10, 2009 by
Julie

Hi,

I was just wondering as to wether you started with the border or added it after? Also, how do you suggest casting on the multiple colours. I am a newbie knitter and am curious to start trying new things. My cousin is having a baby and is not sharing the gender so I thought a blanket with lots of colours would do nicely. I think this is just about the cutest blanket I have ever seen and I know she and her child will love it! Thank you so much!

posted on August 11, 2009 by
Julie

Hi Julie,

I started and finished with the border (top and bottom), but added the ones on the sides later. If you start with the border, you won’t need to cast on multiple colors. Even if you decide not to make a border, I would suggests knitting a few rows in the base color before you start making colored stripes.

posted on August 11, 2009 by
Yana

okay thank you very much I will definitely try this out!

posted on August 12, 2009 by
Julie

did you use a circular needle and a steek? how else can you make the blanket so long? I have never done a large piece like this. I’m sorry for all of the questions! lol I was also wondering if the stockinette stitch stayed flat with just the border or if it stilled curled in? I was thinking maybe a garter stitch might stay flatter but if the stockinette stitch will stay flat I won’t bother changing it.

posted on August 12, 2009 by
Julie

I used regular straight single-point needles – the blanket was bunched up on them but it was still doable (the yarn I picked was relatively thin). As for the edges curling up, the border kept them pretty flat even without blocking. I wouldn’t change the stitch to garter – the lines won’t look right on the rough surface.

posted on August 12, 2009 by
Yana

Okay thank you so much for your help!

posted on August 12, 2009 by
Julie

I just finished all but the side border of the blanket. I did it on 2 circular needles, easier to keep all those bobbins(I wrapped the yarn around clothes pins, worked great) from getting tangled. Got a question… is the border on the side the same as the one on the top/bottom? It looks different in the pictures.

posted on August 22, 2009 by
Sue

Hi Sue,

Congrats on finishing the blanket! The border on the sides is exactly the same as the one on the top and bottom – I made it a different color because I ran out of brown yarn

posted on August 23, 2009 by
Yana

Hello,

I am a new knitter and I simply fell in love with this blanket! This might be a stupid question but how do you simply join in the plaid stripe colours. If I have been knitting with brown, how do I add in the blue and yellow if they are just on the side…maybe I am overthinking this, but HELP!!

Melody

posted on September 18, 2009 by
Melody

How would this pattern change if I wanted to do all four borders in the green color rather than the ends being brown?

posted on September 20, 2009 by
Kourtnay

Hi Melody,

You simply pick up a strand of yarn of new color leaving a tail about 2 inches long and start knitting with it. Make sure the tail stays on the wrong (back) side of the fabric. You can weave it in later after the blanket is finished (or that’s what I generally do).

Yana

posted on September 21, 2009 by
Yana

Hi Kourtnay,

To make the green border all around the blanket, use green yarn for the described Border pattern, then switch to brown (or whatever color you’re using) for Blanket body. After you’re done with the blanket, repeat rows 2-11 of the Border pattern in green.

Yana

posted on September 21, 2009 by
Yana

Hi Yana I’m new to joining colors. My question when the pattern ask for say blue than brown than blue again do I join a blue every time or use the first blue yarn I joined for that row?

posted on December 23, 2009 by
Wendy

I was wondering if you started a new length of brown between the vertical stripes or if you were carrying it across the back some how, sorry like a lot of the other posters I am a fairly new knitter! Thanks in advance!

posted on December 23, 2009 by
Yana

thanks for the advice. another question when start the borders is it suppose curl up? in the your picture the border looks flat and straight.

posted on December 30, 2009 by
Wendy

HI Wendy,

Yes, the border will curl up at first. But once you finish the blanket, fold the border and sew it, it will be straight.

posted on December 30, 2009 by
Yana

Thanks Yana. I just wanted to tell you that I found it hard to knit on the straight needles since the pattern requires CO of 158 sts. so I’ve change it to circular needle and it’s coming along smoothly.

posted on December 31, 2009 by
Wendy

Can you help me with “Row 4: follow the pattern on the wrong side, purling all stitches.” I am a little confused with this row. Is it telling me to purl with the brown yarn all the way? Or to repeat only row 3 but to purl?

Thank you and Happy New Year,
Trang

posted on January 7, 2010 by
Trang

Hi Trang,

In row 4, repeat the pattern established in row 3, but instead of knitting the stitches, purl them. Use the brown yarn to purl brown stitches from the row before, and colored yarns to purl the colored stitches.

posted on January 8, 2010 by
Yana

Love he blanket. Finally finished it. But, I’m thinking I did the border incorrectly. When you pick up the 150 stitches on the sides do you start at the very bottom edge or where the hem will be turned? The directions don’t say and I started at the bottom edge, but it isn’t slanted and it will be bulky in the corners when I turn it back to hem.
Thanks!
Linda

posted on January 11, 2010 by
Linda Gurasich

I submitted a question 4-5 days ago, but it has disappeared.
When I picked up the 150 stitches on the sides, I didn’t know whether to start at the bottom edge or where the border will be turned. The directions didn’t say to start anywhere other than the edge, so that is what I did. Now it looks like it will be very bulky at the corners to turn back. I did the shaping as the pattern called for but I’m not seeing how this is going to work. Please help!

posted on January 14, 2010 by
Linda

Hey Linda,

Sorry I didn’t reply sooner. You should start picking up 150 stitches at the edge of the blanket, not at the border fold line. Ideally, when you knit the first 5 rows of it and increase a few stitches on each side, you’ll get a 45° slope pointing towards the bottom/top borders of the blanket. Then the next 5 rows with decreases will give you the same 45° slope such that when you fold the border in half, it will match the slope of the first half. When you have, say, the top and the right borders unfolded, they would come close together in the first half, but then diverge. However, once you fold them, you should be all set.

Maybe the problem is that there is not enough slope with just a couple of increases/decreases on each side of the border so the 2 adjacent borders don’t come close together. In this case, you can try to do increases (and later decreases) in every row and not every other row as I suggested.